Thief who stole SUV with baby inside waited for chance

@NorbFranzThe theft of an SUV left unlocked with a baby sleeping inside was the work of more than one culprit, Warren police said Thursday.

Surveillance video from the Metro Gas station where the GMC Suburban was stolen about 7 p.m. Monday with 3-month-old Aubrey Ann Williams strapped in a car seat, first shows two men in a car circling through the parking lot before parking next to a pump. Neither man immediately exited the vehicle.

The video shows a woman drive up to a pump, pay for gas inside the facility located at Nine Mile and Hoover roads, refuel her vehicle and drive off.

Moments later, Jesse Greer pulled up, got out of the 1995 Suburban he was driving and entered the gas station to prepay $5 for gas, leaving the baby girl inside the vehicle.

One of the culprits immediately exited the passenger side of the car — believed to be a mid-1990s Buick LeSabre — took a few steps toward the building and turned toward the unlocked GMC. He entered and began driving away.

The man who was behind the wheel of the Buick quickly drove from the scene, leading police to believe he was an accomplice.

Greer said he heard the door shut, saw the stranger in the SUV and frantically chased him, fearful for his only child’s safety. He dialed 911 from his cellphone, pleading desperately for police to find Aubrey as the vehicle turned down south on Marmon Avenue and out of view.

Within a few minutes, Warren police found the idling Suburban three blocks away — abandoned by the thief but with the child safe inside and still asleep.

Police have made no arrests in the case.

Investigators describe the thief as a thin black man in his early 20s, approximately 6 feet, 5 inches tall, about 145 pounds, with a small goatee and wearing a black knitted hat.

Police hope a distinctive aspect of the getaway car will lead to arrests in the case. The Buick is green and has custom wheels, with the rear rim on the passenger side different from the other three.

Greer, 22, admits he made “the biggest mistake of my life.”

“It almost cost me my child,” he said Wednesday, still visibly shaken by the incident.

Greer hopes other parents will learn from his terrifying ordeal and never leave a child alone in a vehicle.

Leaving a child under age 6 unattended in a vehicle causing unreasonable risk of harm or injury is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine.

After reviewing the circumstances surrounding the theft, Green discussed the incident with the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office and decided to not request a warrant against Greer.

Anyone with information about the car or the incident is asked to call the Warren Police Department at 586-574-4877.